With Beijing smiling down upon him – showering the developing country with investments minus any obligations to human rights and democracy – Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen continues his iron fist rule without any fear of opposition.His most blatantly undemocratic move was to dissolve the existing opposition party, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) which was met with immense condemnation by the western world.Now, he is going after the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), a lea

South Korean President Moon Jae-In will visit China next week for talks on North Korea and other issues, his office said Wednesday, amid tentative signs of diplomatic movement after months of high tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats.The announcement came as a high-level United Nations representative held talks with a senior North Korean official during a rare trip to Pyongyang.Jeffrey Feltman, UN undersecretary general for political affairs, arrived Tuesday to discuss w

Xiaomi Corp., the Chinese smartphone maker that was once the most valuable startup in the world, is in talks with investment banks about a possible initial public offering and seeking a valuation of at least $50 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.The Beijing-based company is considering an offering as soon as next year with banks suggesting Hong Kong as the most likely destination, said the people, requesting not to be named because the matter is private.

The Belt Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambition that undoubtedly turns heads and raises eyebrows – but for vastly different reasons.Plans are already underway – ports, roads, rail infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, fibre optics networks – and slowly, China’s estimated five trillion-dollar ambition is taking shape.

It’s been a banner year for Asia’s dollar-bond market, with an unprecedented pace of sales and dozens of debut issuers. But in Singapore, one of the region’s main financial hubs, there’s a note of gloom among its fund managers.The tropical city is starting to get left out in the cold when it comes to marketing offshore dollar debt, in another sign of the increasing influence of China.

Talks about the “Quad” – a four-way security dialogue between the US, India, Japan and Australia – has resurged since it was first championed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. This time, it centred around the notion of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”What the term, “Indo-Pacific” popularised by US President Donald Trump during his visit to Asia entails is still not set in stone.

A manhunt was underway Tuesday for 20 ethnic Uighurs from China who made a daring escape from an immigration detention centre in southern Thailand, with police expecting them to make a dash for the border with Malaysia.Police said the group bored through two small holes into the wall of the centre in Sadao, near Thailand's southernmost border, using blankets to climb out as heavy rains masked their flight.The group have been held since 2014 despite their claims to be Turkish citizens.Tur

Much ado about the 31st ASEAN SummitThe highlight for this week was the conclusion of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings which began last week.

“I’ve had the honour of sharing our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Trump told delegates at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Vietnam earlier this month.The term, “Indo-Pacific” has been used repeatedly during Trump’s Asian jaunt in reference to the region running from Eastern Africa to the Pacific Ocean.

The Philippine economy grew more than six percent for a ninth consecutive quarter, cementing its position as one of the fastest-expanding in the world.Key Points Gross domestic product increased 6.9 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority said in Manila Thursday, after expanding a revised 6.7 percent in the previous three months.